Perhaps steamed by the heat from the buns, Feng Xian’s eyes became somewhat moist. She looked up at Zhao Hao on horseback and asked: “How is Your Highness here? It’s so late and you haven’t returned to the palace?”
Zhao Hao immediately appeared uncomfortable, unnaturally turning his head to look into the distance before answering: “Oh, I was at a clan member’s residence evaluating calligraphy and paintings. I lost track of time and didn’t make it back before the palace gates closed, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to wander around the city. It was just a coincidence that I encountered you…”
Probably feeling that this excuse wasn’t convincing even to himself, as he spoke, his face had turned red to the roots of his neck.
Feng Xian guessed something of his thoughts, so she didn’t press him further about why he had thought to buy food for her. She silently gazed at the buns in her hands for a moment, then placed them on the box she had brought and raised her hands to her forehead, performing the grand ceremony to Zhao Huaiyu.
Zhao Huaiyu was startled and quickly supported her with both hands, asking: “Miss, why do you do this?”
Feng Xian insisted on kneeling and said to Zhao Huaiyu: “Feng Xian has one matter to request—I earnestly hope you will grant it.”
Zhao Huaiyu asked what she requested, and Feng Xian said: “A young talent like yourself should marry a young lady from a distinguished family as your wife. My father was born a commoner, and I was abandoned by my father from childhood, raised in the countryside with no particular talents or learning—I’m not worthy to be your wife. If I were to be a concubine, since you haven’t yet married, when you negotiate marriage with wealthy and noble families in the future, I fear they might mind my existence. Therefore, could you allow me to return to the palace while you seek another suitable match?”
Zhao Huaiyu was speechless and stood forlornly in the night wind for a long time before asking: “You don’t want to marry me, do you? Do you already have feelings for someone else?”
Feng Xian didn’t answer, but her peripheral vision intentionally or unintentionally glanced toward Zhao Hao.
Seeing this, Zhao Huaiyu smiled sadly and said: “Very well, go back to the palace with the Third Prince.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hao immediately dismounted, helped Feng Xian up, and said to her: “I’ll take you back.”
But Feng Xian bowed again to Zhao Huaiyu: “Thank you, sir… When His Majesty asks about this later, could you say that your mother already had a favored daughter-in-law candidate and was unwilling to accept Feng Xian, so that’s why you let me return to the palace?”
Zhao Huaiyu was silent for a moment but still said “Yes.”
Feng Xian was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. Zhao Hao urged her to mount the horse, then led it himself to take her away. Feng Xian looked back hesitantly at her luggage, but Zhao Hao turned back and only took the buns from the box, came over and handed them to Feng Xian, saying: “Those belongings aren’t important—I’ll have someone collect them later.”
Feng Xian sat on the horse, bit into the warm bun, and looked at Zhao Hao leading the horse for her, showing the first genuine smile of joy she’d had since entering the palace. The bun was just an ordinary fresh meat bun steamed at a neighborhood eatery, but to Feng Xian at that moment, it was no different from the finest delicacy in the world.
Feng Xian chatted with Zhao Hao along the way, and through his evasive accounts and her own guesses and deductions, she gradually figured out about eight or nine-tenths of his journey: After their encounter at Jujing Garden, Zhao Hao had paid close attention to Feng Xian’s movements. Learning that she had been returned to the Royal Kitchen, he began thinking about how to request her for his own residence, only to have Zhao Huaiyu appear out of nowhere and have His Majesty bestow Feng Xian upon him. Upon hearing this news, Zhao Hao was both angry and anxious, rode out of the palace to search for her. He had been hiding in the shadows observing Zhao Huaiyu’s situation and, discovering that he was letting Feng Xian go hungry and suffer from cold, turned to go to the night market to buy buns for her.
Feng Xian realized he had only bought two for her and from beginning to end had no intention of sharing one with Zhao Huaiyu, which she found both amusing and somewhat touching, so she said: “In the future, if Your Highness wants to eat anything, just tell me—I’ll make it and send it to your residence.”
Zhao Hao silently continued leading the horse, and only after a long while replied: “No need. Come to my residence—I’ll have people cook for you.”
Feng Xian naturally understood what “come to my residence” meant. A warm current flowed through her heart, and she suddenly remembered what Consort Liu Jieyu had said to her before: “If he doesn’t think of me, surely there are others who do”… But she quickly collected herself and said seriously: “Your Highness, I don’t become anyone’s concubine.”
Zhao Hao looked up at her with some surprise.
“In this lifetime, Feng Xian will only marry honorably as a principal wife—I swear never to be a concubine.” Feng Xian met his gaze calmly and restated this with composure.
Feng Xian’s return to the palace immediately caused heated discussion among the Six Departments. Everyone was speculating about the reason Zhao Huaiyu had returned her. Some said Zhao Huaiyu’s mother detested her, others said Zhao Huaiyu was unsatisfied after one night with her, and some didn’t ignore the fact that she had been brought back by Zhao Hao, vividly fabricating a rumor that she had been secretly involved with the Third Prince all along. They claimed Zhao Huaiyu had discovered her affair with the Third Prince and was unwilling to marry a woman who had lost her chastity, so he wouldn’t let her through his door.
But the very next morning, Feng Xian requested an audience with Palace Administrator Wei, publicly declaring at the administrator’s door: “Please have a female official examine Feng Xian’s body. If Feng Xian is no longer a virgin, I’m willing to accept any punishment, even if His Majesty orders my death, I have no complaints.”
The administrator indeed had her examined, and the result was that Feng Xian still maintained her virginity. Feng Xian slapped the document with this conclusion onto the forehead of the attendant who had spread the rumors, saying coldly: “This is written in black and white—take a good look. The Third Prince was returning from a clan member’s residence that day and encountered me by chance on the imperial street. The Third Prince has a compassionate heart, so he brought me back. Before that, we had no connection whatsoever. If I hear any more rumors in the future, I will definitely ask the administrator to severely punish the rumor-mongers. If I discover you’re the one spreading them again, I won’t wait for the administrator to speak—I’ll come tear your mouth apart first!”
Thus the rumor-mongers retreated, and the gossip quickly subsided. Though the Emperor found it strange and displeasing, since Zhao Huaiyu said he was following his mother’s wishes in not taking Feng Xian, he simply said “Your filial heart is commendable” and let the matter be.
Zhenzhen later privately asked Feng Xian why she hadn’t seized the opportunity to leave the palace and become Zhao Huaiyu’s wife, since he was a good-hearted person with unlimited prospects. Feng Xian briefly described the situation of waiting most of the night at the Zhao family gate, saying: “He’s good, but we’re not the same kind of people. It’s naturally good that he’s filial to his mother, but it’s obvious he places his mother above everything else. He can lose himself for his mother’s sake, and compared to his mother, I’m even more insignificant. If I ever had any dispute with his mother in the future, he would certainly side with his mother without thinking. That’s not the kind of husband I want.”
Zhenzhen nodded to show she understood: “You want someone who puts you first in everything.”
Feng Xian said: “Yes, I hope he would care about me more than anything else. Even if I stirred up tremendous waves, he would pull me behind him without complaint or regret and shield me from all impacts.”
Though Zhao Hao very much hoped Feng Xian would come to his residence, he was firmly refused by her. After the Zhao Huaiyu incident, the palace ladies all saw that Feng Xian was a formidable character and weren’t particularly willing to have her come to their side either, so Feng Xian could only continue staying at the Royal Kitchen doing miscellaneous work for the time being.
One day, Food Service Director Sun from Cifu Palace came to the Royal Kitchen to teach the young attendants, this time bringing her proud disciple Chen Keyan along. In front of everyone, she highly praised Chen Keyan: “Keyan has extremely high comprehension—whatever dish I teach, she learns immediately and can draw inferences from one example. Learning one dish, she can make several similar ones… Working in the Northern Inner Palace, she considers the Empress Dowager’s health in everything, making dishes that are not only perfect in color, aroma, and taste, but also very nourishing and most suitable for the Empress Dowager. She’s also careful and cautious—after cooking, she promptly cleans all utensils and returns them to their proper places in perfect order, never making mistakes. Most remarkably, when organizing utensils, she doesn’t just take care of her own. If she sees others haven’t organized theirs properly, she quietly helps them clean up without seeking reward…”
Then Food Service Director Sun had Chen Keyan demonstrate by making a dish she excelled at called “Ten Treasures Soup.” This soup required ten ingredients: stone ear, stone moss, stone thread, purple seaweed, deer antler mushroom, heavenly flower mushroom, shark, fish maw, abalone, and dried shrimp. She would also take chicken, mutton, and quail to make a rich broth first, then place those ingredients in the soup to stew. Chen Keyan checked the ingredients in the Royal Kitchen’s main kitchen and found they were missing fish maw. Food Service Director Pei said: “I have some in my small kitchen, stored in a cabinet. Go get it yourself.”
Considering that Chen Keyan wasn’t familiar with where utensils and ingredients were placed in the small kitchen, Food Service Director Pei told Feng Xian to guide her. As soon as Chen Keyan entered the small kitchen, her initially modest expression disappeared. Without waiting for Feng Xian’s guidance, she opened cabinets herself and searched through them. Feng Xian stepped forward saying she could help, but Chen Keyan arrogantly refused and insisted on searching herself.
Fish maw is dried shark bladder, which Food Service Director Pei kept in a porcelain jar together with other dried seafood. Chen Keyan lifted jar lids one by one searching, and finding it in a row against the wall, she joyfully went to lift that porcelain jar. But her movement was too quick—she knocked over the jars in the front row, and one of them immediately fell, crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces, with the seafood inside scattered all over the floor.
Food Service Director Sun outside heard the crisp sound of breaking and immediately rushed into the small kitchen. Seeing the broken porcelain jar, her face immediately turned ashen, and she sternly asked the two women: “Who broke it?”
Feng Xian remained unmoved, while Chen Keyan was already frightened pale, her lips trembling as she stammered: “I… I didn’t mean to…”
Food Service Director Pei and other attendants subsequently entered. They hadn’t heard Chen Keyan’s words just now, so their gazes lingered on her and Feng Xian’s faces, all guessing who had broken it.
Food Service Director Sun suddenly strode quickly toward Feng Xian and slapped her across the face, shouting: “I can see you’re not young anymore—how can you still be so clumsy in your work, worse than a ten-year-old attendant!”
Feng Xian was stunned, then realized she was forcibly making her take the blame for her disciple. Initially she couldn’t help but feel angry, but she quickly calmed down and simply knelt straight down, lowering her head and saying: “It was Feng Xian’s momentary carelessness that caused this jar to be knocked over and broken. Feng Xian knows her mistake and is willing to accept Food Service Director’s punishment.”
Upon hearing this, Food Service Director Sun and Chen Keyan exchanged glances, both very surprised. Food Service Director Sun had already prepared a belly full of words scolding Feng Xian for “denial and sophistry,” but now there was no need to say them at all.
Food Service Director Pei looked at Feng Xian coldly and said: “First clean up the small kitchen. Today you’ll sweep the Royal Kitchen courtyard. After sweeping, face the wall and reflect for two hours. Don’t bother with dinner.”
Feng Xian bowed her head and accepted the order, not forgetting to thank Food Service Director Pei for her lenient punishment.
When Feng Xian finished sweeping the courtyard, everyone from the Royal Kitchen had long since dispersed. She returned the broom to its proper place, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and was preparing to wash her hands when she turned around and suddenly saw Food Service Director Sun walking toward her.
Feng Xian quickly bowed to Food Service Director Sun. Food Service Director Sun walked up to her and asked coldly: “Why were you willing to admit fault?”
Feng Xian lowered her eyebrows and said: “The jar was broken by Feng Xian, so naturally I should admit it.”
Food Service Director Sun gazed at Feng Xian carefully, feeling the rumors were true—this girl was indeed different from others. She had just praised Chen Keyan in front of everyone, and Chen Keyan had immediately broken Food Service Director’s jar. If she openly punished Chen Keyan for this, it would be tantamount to slapping her own face in public, so she had to pull Feng Xian in to take the blame. Feng Xian had also understood this perfectly and was not only willing to cooperate, but even when no outsiders were present, she continued to admit it was her mistake. She neither sought credit nor asked for reward, showing she was extremely clever.
“What do you need? I’ll reward you with something.” Food Service Director Sun said.
Feng Xian bowed and said: “Feng Xian lacks nothing. I have long admired Food Service Director. If I could have the opportunity to work under you, that would be enough to fulfill my wishes.”
Food Service Director Sun frowned: “You want to go serve the Empress Dowager?”
Feng Xian said softly: “I want to work for Food Service Director. Though I’m not gifted, I’m willing to do my utmost as your assistant, and I’m confident I can do better than Chen Keyan.”
Food Service Director Sun pondered for a long time and finally agreed: “Then come and try. If you don’t do well, I’ll send you back to the Southern Inner Palace at any time.”